China’s Controversial Circular Electron Positron Accelerator: The Race for Groundbreaking Discoveries at Any Cost?

A proposal to build a circular electron positron accelerator (CEPC) in China has sparked controversy within the scientific community. The proposed accelerator would surpass the capabilities of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) operated by CERN in Switzerland and France, potentially leading to groundbreaking discoveries for decades to come.

Physicist Yang Chen-ning is a vocal opponent of the project, arguing that China should focus on more pressing issues such as economic development and environmental protection instead of investing in a super particle accelerator. However, proponents of the project, including Wang Yifang, director of the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) in Beijing, believe that the potential scientific advancements from CEPC justify the cost.

The research team at IHEP has garnered international recognition for their work and the design of the CEPC project. By accelerating electrons and positrons to high energies and colliding them, the accelerator could generate millions of Higgs bosons, leading to new discoveries beyond the standard model of particle physics. While construction of CEPC would require significant funding, proponents argue that the long-term benefits for scientific research and advancement outweigh the costs.

China has been deliberating on building CEPC for nearly a decade, with growing support within the scientific community. Wang Yifang is optimistic that construction could commence within three years pending government approval and funding. Despite